My favorite little known facts about different Disney rides!

Hello there friend! Thank you for coming back and reading this next post! This past week I took to Instagram and Snapchat to ask my friends and followers to ask them about what their favorite rides from any of the Disney theme parks were!
In this post the rides that I will be talking about come from the Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Magic Kingdom! Sadly no one wanted to hear about EPCOT, dont worry I will have an EPCOT post another week!

I will be giving 3-5 facts per ride and if you are interested in hearing any more feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @legzandkindeyez or on Instagram @speakingangel.

Animal Kingdom:

Expedition Everest:

• There is a basketball hoop inside of the ride that castmembers have access to use while on breaks.
• Disco Yeti is the nickname given to the yeti animatronic that is in the ride, it was given this nickname because of the strobe lights that were added when the animatronic was shut off due to the fact that it was damaging the structure of the attraction every time it performed its action
• Expedition Everest became the first Disney coaster to propel riders both backward and forwards.
• There's a prop bird (known as Bird on a stick) that occasionally pops up when the train comes to a stop (this is the part where the tracks are lifted up off the track right before the train is propelled backward)
• It's really cool how they do the track switch before being propelled backward and then again forwards after the yeti moves the track again, here's a video that shows what I am referring to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWna_sOebSo&t=190s
• I also found a video that shows what it's like when the lifted track is missing! (ft. Bird on a stick) :  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgNAbq1nmYc

Dinosaur:

• The vehicles' name "CTX Time Rover" is a nod to Countdown to Extinction, the original ride!
• Where the Iguanodon statue now stands at the front of the attraction used to be the Styracosaurus.
• McDonald's was once the sponsor for Dinoland U.S.A.; if you look around while you're in line for Dinosaur, you'll spot red, yellow and white pipes labeled with chemical formulas. Wonder what those formulas make? Ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise. (photo on right)

Hollywood Studios: (What it looks like now that the hats gone) (also known as MGM Studios)

(The hat is so iconic though so here is a picture of it anyway :D)

Tower of Terror:

(ok ok ok so I know that I said I would only do 3-5 but I think this ride is so cool, so this one might get a few more)

• Tower of Terror can be seen from EPCOT and so it was designed to blend in with the buildings that are in the Morocco section of the World Showcase.
• Tower of Terror uses an autonomous car system and one of the reasons that the ride breaks down a lot is because something falls out of the cart and onto the floor blocking one of the sensors that are required to help with the movement of the ride vehicle and so that vehicle won't move until the obstruction is cleared.
• All the spider webs that are in the lobby are created by hot glue strings they just are allowed to collect dust overtime
• The footage in the pre-show video for the Tower of Terror, featuring Twilight Zone host Rod Serling, was taken from the episode It's a Good Life. The opening lines from the TV show are spoken by Serling himself. However, an impersonator named Mark Silverman narrates the remainder of the video. He was handpicked by Disney's Imagineers and Serling's widow, Carol. The Imagineers spent many hours lining up the lip sync with the footage of Serling and degrading the digitally recorded dialogue to match the 1960s analog sound quality of the original show. 
• (Storytime! When my family and I took part in the Hollywood Adventures by Disney tour one of our cast member tour guides was also apart of the Guest Relations team and one day Mark Silverman called impersonating Rod Sterling and decided to "prank call" the cast members when asking for tickets to the park for later that week, the tour guide described how he actually hung up the phone in shock and fear after hearing what he thought could only be Sterling's voice.)
• The attraction utilizes Pepper's Ghost illusion, a favorite Disney illusion most notably used in the Haunted Mansion attraction to make the ghosts in the ballroom seemingly come to life. This illusion is used for the projection of the family in the hallway scene, and then also the projection of the floating window in the same scene.
• The Tower of Terror ride is 199 feet if it had been any taller the FAA (Federal Aviation Authority) would have required to have a flashing red light on top of it.

Rockin' Roller Coaster:

• Each limo plays a different track, so depending on which limo you get will dictate the song(s) that you hear while you ride. 
• “Young Lust”/”F.I.N.E.”/”Love in an Elevator” medley
• “Nine Lives”, “Sweet Emotion”
• “Back in the Saddle”/”Dude Looks Like a Lady” medley
• “Love in an Elevator”/”Walk This Way” medley. 
• There are over 900 speakers for this ride. 
• For starters, each guest is surrounded by 5 speakers, which are 4 around the head and 1 subwoofer under the seat.  (5 limos in circulation, and about 24 seats per limo.) When you multiply that across all of the guests in each limo and then by the number of limos in circulation, plus all the speakers in the actual track house it's easy to see how the number could be over 900!
• Rockin Roller Coaster was an opening day attraction when MGM studios opened on May 1, 1989.

Magic Kingdom: (Since there are many attractions to be talked about here I will only be doing about 1-2 facts)

• Peoplemover:
• Today we know the attraction as the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover, and most often just called the PeopleMover for short. When the attraction first opened, it was known was the WEDWay PeopleMover. The WED stood for Walter Elias Disney. It changed to Tomorrowland Transit Authority in 1994 and kept that name until 2010.  
• Splash Mountain: Many of the animatronics used throughout the ride are actually repurposed from the attraction America Sings. 
• Florida State University helped with the ride and in honor of that there is a little gopher looking character that pops out of the ceiling in Florida's Splash Mountain and says "GO FSU!" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyYurgf_6u4&feature=emb_logo)
• Peter Pan's Flight: This attraction has been around since the very beginning. The attraction was one of the original attractions that guests first rode on when Disneyland opened. It has been a beloved attraction ever since, which is why it was added to the Magic Kingdom. It actually now lives in 4 different Disney theme parks all around the world and maintains popularity at all of them!
• Peter Pan wasn't in the ride originally, actually most of the main character's weren't the ride was supposed to show the POV from Peter and the Darling children.
• Haunted Mansion: The biggest illusion in the attraction is the Pepper's Ghost illusion, Heres a video that explains it really well (https://youtu.be/fAryLSRcub0?t=54)
• The Haunted Mansion is the only ride to be at nearly every park across the world (minus Shanghi Disneyland) ! Mystic Manor (Hong Kong Disneyland) is based on Chinese traditional and cultural stories that reflect death and the afterlife, this was seen as a better option compared to what the ride is like in Disney World and Disneyland in California.

Was your favorite ride not listed? Let me know and I would love to come back another week to talk some more about intersting facts about the rides!

 If anyone has any questions please feel free to reach out to me!

Thanks for reading! And I hope you have a magical rest of your day!

Walt's Frozen Head signing off for now!

M-I-C... See you real soon K-E-Y Why? because we like you

M-O-U-S-E

The Tales of George and Mr. One-way.

I know that usually, I am Walt's Frozen Head, but today...When hinges creak in doorless chambers, and strange and frightening sounds echo through the halls. Whenever candlelights flicker where the air is deathly still — that is the time when ghosts are present, practicing their terror with ghoulish delight!
Welcome, foolish mortals, to my next blog post! I am your host, your ghost host.
Kindly read all the way through, and make room for everyone in the comments.

There’s no turning back now. Our post begins here in this introduction, where you see this post will be all about the paranormal rumored to be around the parks, of course, as they appeared in their corruptible, mortal state.

Some of the rumored, and most famous haunts of both Disney World and Disneyland include Walt Disney, George, The Woman in White, Mr.One-way, Dolly, Haunted Mansion Disneyland ( Little Boy) thought to be from an ash scattering, Debbie Stone,  and the Boy from the Haunted Mansion in DisneyWorld.

Though all have interesting stories today I will just be focusing on George and Mr. One-way.

Starting out with George (Haunts Pirates of the Carribean in Disney World)- Though there have been many deliberations on if his story is one of truth or lore, there is one thing known for sure, it was based on a real person and a real story (unfortunately that story has been a little muddled over the years).  But here is his story:
George is said to be the ghost of a Disney Imagineer who died in the early ’70s while working on (welding) a piece in the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction so it could open in the Magic Kingdom.

This sad story has changed a bit over the years, but that is the general gist of it.

Some say he was crushed. Other versions of the story say he fell from the top of the attraction’s burning city in one of the final big scenes. It varies.

From this point on, Cast Members have said to have seen a ghostly apparition on ride monitors in Pirates of the Caribbean, but nothing ever in real life. They’ve also heard mysterious footsteps or phone calls from the control room when no-one is in there.

But the big kicker that maybe you have heard of is that:

Cast Members also make sure to do something every single day. Every morning, someone tells George “good morning” and in the evening, someone tells George “good night” over the PA system.

 Well, there are reasons for those actions.

It is said that if George is not told “good morning,” the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction will have issues throughout the day with breakdowns and more. If George isn’t wished “good night,” the attraction has been known to come on overnight and certain parts be running the next morning.

He’s not vindictive or a mean ghost. George just wants people to recognize that he is there.

Cast Members at Pirates of the Caribbean aren’t the only ones that can be affected or visited by George.

It’s been said before that guests complaining about the attraction or making fun of it or looking for it to be over quicker…well, they’ve often been the victim of a breakdown while riding it.

Appearances or experiences with George have been said to have been felt or seen all throughout Pirates of the Caribbean.

There is one spot in particular though…where George is said to hang out more than others and it is indeed in the final big room with the burning city. He is said to often make guests feel his presence or a chill when they are next to Pirate Pig and almost underneath the drunken pirate with the hairy leg.

The only picture that has been posted online really claiming that they have captured George in a photo is from an online forum-er known as Marlyng posted this photo from mid-2013 of herself and her brother. It was taken in the first set of caverns as you go through the mist flowing down with Blackbeard’s image on it. She said she captured a “spirit” sitting between them. This, of course, could be a total coincidence, but it is pretty much the only documented photo that claims to be of George. This one is heavily debated within the Disney community because of the fact that depending from cast member to cast member the existence of George's ghost changes, it all depends on who you ask that day.



Mr. One-Way (Haunts Disneyland's Space Mountain)-
Mr. One-Way is known to join single passengers on Space Mountain, and although some speculate that the evidence behind this mystery is just old cameras being faulty, Also, people have reported seeing a man with reddish hair and a red face. He usually gets into a seat next to a single rider. By the time the ride ends, the man has disappeared. Supposedly, this is the ghost of a man who died on the ride in the 1970s. They call him "Mr. One Way" and he is also sometimes seen in the Cast Member locker rooms in the Space Mountain building.

Though I couldn't find good photos here's a link to a video that I think shows the "ghost" the best: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwwu2nk9x9Q

Thank You for reading!
It was a pleasure being your host ghost!
See you next week!

The Disney College Program

Welcome back, friends!
Today I wanted to post about the Disney College Program or (DCP), and my experience with it!
Vocab to know:
DCP- Disney College Program
WBI- Web-Based Interview
PI- Phone Interview
WDW +DLR- Walt Disney World (Florida) + Disneyland Resort (California)
NLIC- No Longer In Consideration
Ears: Like the Mickey ear hats, or Minnie ear headbands

First I have quite a few photos just with a bit of explanation sprinkled in on what the DCP is and what the application process is like.
Unfortunately, I did not record myself actually filling out the application so I just have the screenshots of the emails I got while applying!

First: https://jobs.disneycareers.com/disney-college-program

This is the website where you can still apply for the Disney College Program! I believe the applications for Fall Advantage (May- Jan) will still be open until mid- March, and the Fall (Aug -  Jan) program should be open until April or May-ish.

Once you decide you want to apply you Click Apply Now, and then read the page that comes up (this will be a standard application that has the job summary, basic qualifications, preferred qualifications, and additional information. After you click apply now at the bottom of the page and it brings you to a sign in for the application, this is going to be the "What's your name, what's your experience, what roles are you interested in?" section. (Personally for me since I want to work for the company in the future I put down that I would be willing to do any role. Most jobs with Disney require you to have ___ amount of months experience working for the company, or require you to have gone through the DCP.
Ok so after I filled that out I received this email almost immediately! (TIME TO SET UP THE WEB-BASED INTERVIEW!)

(In my experience I have always gotten a WBI, it is a standard questionnaire that tries to get information on your personality, and yes... IT IS ONE OF THOSE INTERVIEWS THAT TRIES TO CATCH YOU LYING ABOUT WHO YOU ARE PERSONALITY WISE! meaning it will ask similar questions to try and make your that when you say you are a people person you really mean you are a people person. The Walt Disney Company admires integrity and doesn't want to hire someone who seems like a good candidate on paper but is really the opposite in real life.

For me this past application season since I applied as soon as the applications came out after I went through the WBI I immediately got an email asking me to schedule a Phone Interview.

 This will have been the 3rd phone interview that I have partaken in for Disney. And although there are some people who I have seen having strict notes for them to follow while during their phone interview, I have always found having more notes was more confusing for me.

NAME: Tammie

ROUTE TO VIP TOURS

REMEMBER to BE YOURSELF!!!!!

Narrow jobs 2-3 (WDW Attractions, Merchandise) (DL Attractions and Retail Sales Clerk)

Disney look

experience and roles

safety

bring car

smile the entire time

*** Don't be Fake****

magical moment

adv. 1st choice

network****

Tech behind the dreams************

7 days to accept the offer

support link

hair - check

attractions or guest relations

May- Jan+

This is what my notes looked like for the last phone interview, I always make sure to put the Recruiters name at the top of my notes, everything else is little trigger words for either a question I should ask or something I should bring up ex: where it says "ROUTE TO VIP TOURS" That was for me to remember to bring up the question of, "VIP Tour Guide is what I want to do if I do not get in this program what is my best route to take to have a better chance of landing this job sometime soon in the future." and the "Hair-Check" is in reference to a question I had about the Disney Look they require natural-looking hair colors, and since I sometimes dye my hair I had questions, I was told that if I really thought it would be an issue that I could Tweet one of the recruiters with a picture and they would be able to tell me if it was good or not.

After the interview you just have to wait... sometimes you find out sooner than later, the first time I applied I didn't hear back until the last possible day and unfortunately I was NLIC'ed, This past time I just wasn't prepared for the PI, I was called 3 hours late and really just didn't want to reschedule it. I found out immediately that I was NLIC.

My normal routine for these phone interviews is to sit in front of a big mirror, blast Disney tunes from my computer, put on my Ears, a Disney shirt, Disney socks, and really just hype myself up for the phone interview, I've learned just from talking with past CM's that being genuine is the best things to do while on the calls, I've stopped caring if my voice shakes a little or if I get a voice crack, you just have to laugh it off if you get in your head and start worrying too much then you will only self-sabotage yourself. I consider myself really lucky, I was doubting if I would even get in this time around. I was VERY excited to get an email saying that I had an offer! I found out I would be working Quick Service Food and Beverage, QSFB for short! I will be located somewhere within WDW. And I am very excited about move-in day! 

I have chosen my dates and I am all ready to move in!

And after selecting the dates of arrival and departure, I had to start looking for friends, possible roommates and pay the housing fees. I like to say I got lucky in this department, not only do I have some amazing new friends, but I have also found a roommate! Also as far as housing fees go, I had to pay $390 which is significantly lesser than DLR's fee of almost $900!

I am so grateful to be able to have this experience and I am very excited to be hopefully continuing this blog while I am down in Disney! If anyone is interested in applying but is still hesitant please feel free to reach out to me with any questions you may have!

Thanks for reading! And I hope you have a magical rest of your day!

Walt's Frozen Head signing off for now!

M-I-C... See you real soon K-E-Y Why? because we like you
M-O-U-S-E

Magic Kingdom (Disney Land and Walt Disney World) - Perspective from a Soon to be Cast Member and Current/ Alumni Cast Members

To all who come to this happy place; welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past… and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams and the hard facts that have created America…with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world. - Walt Disney (1955)

Welcome back, friends!
Today's post will not only be talking about the similarities and differences between Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort, but I have also been talking to current and past cast members and asking them about what their favorite  (Non- Cast Member only secrets) secrets about the park that they wish other visitors would notice next time they were in the park!





Disneyland Resort:
Little Known Secrets from current and past Cast Members!

• Splash Mountain in Disneyland was created in part with the purpose of reusing the animatronics from America Sings that was open back in the 70s for America’s bicentennial (it was in the rotating theater of carousel of progress). 
• Michael Eisner wanted more thrill rides at Disneyland to help bring up attendance, Tony Baxter (Imagineer for Disney during that time) decided to reuse the animatronics!

Not a Fun Fact: the reason America Sings was shut down is that a cast member got caught in the rotating theater and killed. only temporarily, it reopened a few days later and stayed open another decade or so.... but still.


Haunted Mansion (Disneyland Resort):

Outside of the 999 spooky haunts being held inside of the Haunted Mansion, one interesting little lore is that  Around the summer of 1974, someone with a firearm within the park fired off multiple rounds. Two confirmed gunshots struck both the ballroom wall in the Haunted Mansion and a snowflake on Adventure Thru Inner Space. 

A third hole was found in the Primeval World diorama on the train. 

A later investigation by Anaheim Police determined the holes to be .22 caliber with bullet fragments matching between the holes.

This left Disney with a problem. The panes of glass at the Ballroom scene are so large, the roof of the building would have had to be removed (i.e. destroyed) to replace them. Disney’s solution was to cover up the hole in the glass by disguising it as a spider web and place a fake spider right over the hole. So next time you ride the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland when you leave the ballroom scene just before entering Madame Leota’s room, look for a spider and web on the last pane of glass in front of you.

Another really cool thing about the Haunted Mansion is that Madame Leota's head is an Imagineer, but the voice is Eleanor Audrey who is the voice of Maleficent (from Sleeping Beauty) and Lady Tremain (Evil Stepmother in Cinderella).

Haunted Mansions in Disney World and Disneyland is the Ring! Because this ring was a creation of the fans and not Disney canon, the story of the ring varied depending on who would tell it. Perhaps Master Gracey had gotten angry at the young woman for cheating on him and tossed it over the balcony in a fit of rage. Or maybe it was the indent of her ring forced into the ground when she flung herself to her death. The delightfully morbid notion took on a life of its own and the little piece of embedded pipe grew into a legend.

Cast Member's Favorite Secrets about Walt Disney World:

There is an airplane runway built on property just southeast of the Contemporary. The goal was for guests to fly straight to WDW from connecting flights throughout FL. Look on Google Maps for a long piece of concrete.

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To make it even cooler: The runway “sings”!

Known as the Lake Buena Vista STOLport runway, what appears to be just a wide spot in a side road was once a landing strip for small aircraft flying between Disney World and the central Florida international airports. Built-in 1970 (or 1971, it is unclear) the runway was only used for a year or two–by Shawnee airlines, the only airline ever to fly directly into the Magic Kingdom–before flights were discontinued.  The area is now used as a backstage parking and storage lot and is easily accessible by turning right under the monorail before entering the Magic Kingdom parking area. The closed runway was at one time used as a training area for Disney’s bus drivers, which revealed a hidden surprise for the trainees. Originally used to surprise the airplane passengers, the set of grooves, like those on the side of a highway, that line this runway play “When you wish upon a star” when driven over at roughly 45 miles per hour. 

It is rumored that the grooves used to make the runway sing were removed in 2008. I was able to find videos of people driving across the runway (hoping to check that out when I'm down in Florida, hopefully doing this is not something that can get me terminated from the company.) Unfortunately, I was unable to find video proof that the runway actually sung. It is also rumored that the song played may have actually been "Zip-a-dee do-da". I have only seen this a few times, and have mostly heard that the song was "When You Wish Upon a Star" so it was most likely "When You Wish Upon a Star". 

Reused Animatronics at Disney World:

Disney is notorious for reusing animatronics with both using just the skeleton and using the whole animatronic itself. Some examples of this are...

Whole animatronic:

 The Snow White animatronic in 7 Dwarves Mine Train is from Snow White scary adventure. The dog in The Haunted Mansion, Carousel of Progress, and Pirates are all the same (They made the same animatronic three times), and you will find the father and daughter from the Carousel of Progress in the renaissance scene of Spaceship Earth playing instruments.

( Seen here is Walt Disney standing amoungst the molds used for some of the pirates in the Pirates of the Carribean ride)

(These animatronics are seen at the end of the Snow White Mine Train ride not pictured is the Evil Queen in hag form standing outside the cottage door.)

The Three Caballeros-

Donald Duck, Jose, and Panchito debuted in 1944. Their musical popularity took them soaring straight into the Mickey Mouse Revue, an animatronic extravaganza in Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland. An opening day attraction, the Mickey Mouse Revue delighted guests from 1971-1980. With the opening of Disneyland in Japan, they were shipped out there to be apart of the Mickey Mouse Revue there on opening day. Once that show closed though the birds were shipped back to DisneyWorld and were put into the Grand Fiesta Tour starring the Three Caballeros in the Mexico Pavilion of Epcot’s World Showcase. In their current home, Donald, Jose, and Panchito perform their Three Caballeros world tour after finishing their real-life world tour. 

Star Tours Droids-

America Sings was a gold mine for animatronics in the 80s. Long before the animals headed over to Critter Country, two geese disappeared from the show. Later, Imagineers admitted to removing the two for a new ride featuring a well-known space odyssey. These two geese had their feathers plucked and all their outside dressings removed. A couple of plastic pieces and a reprogramming later, these geese were official Star Tours agents qualified to screen passengers and (attempt) to fix droids.

The Pirates of the Carribean-

Back before Disney exported animatronic production to a third party, all the many faces of favorite characters were produced by a limited number of artists. As such, sometimes animatronics had the same face only with different hair or body shapes. This was EXTREMELY common in Pirates of the Carribean. 

In the Well scene, Mayor Carlos and the second tied up man from the left share a face. In the Auction scene, the drunkard on the bridge shares a face with one of the catcallers on the steps. The man of many hats in the burning city shares a face with one singing pirates by the donkey.

THE NEW REDD ANIMATRONIC:

Some say Jane's face from Tarzan was put on the animatronic of the Wicked Witch and added as Redd in Pirates. I'm not sure how credible that is, but it wouldn't be surprising if this is the case. Animatronics usually get repurposed because they cost a ton to make.

Finally some really cool and random facts I found about the Magic Kingdom!

1. There are no bathrooms in Liberty Square because you wouldn’t find bathrooms in that time period, hence the poop river in the middle of the walkways.
2. The buildings in MK (for sure Frontierland & Liberty Square, but not sure about the others) are numbered. The increasing numbers indicate time passing. 
3. There are no batteries in the magic bands! In theory, they could work forever. There is something more ‘techy’ going on if they stop working though.
4.  The long-range RFID scanning is really really really glitchy which is why you will often get the wrong ride photos or none at all. Super fun for Photopass working at late at night (test track is especially fickle) 
5. Eat at weird times while in the parks to get the most out of your day, and if you are nice to CM I promise they will be nice back (like with FP, etc.) 
6. When you are on the people mover and go through space mountain, the signs on either side say Starport 75, referring to 1975 when space mountain opened at Disney World
7. At Grand Floridian, the reason why the furniture in the lobby isn’t exactly identical to each other is because, during the Victorian era, people would collect unique pieces of furniture from their travels and it was very rare for two pieces to be exactly alike. So they put furniture in the lobby that looked similar enough in color and style but they aren’t all uniform.

Thanks for reading! Have a magical rest of your day!

If you have any follow up questions about anything mentioned today don't be shy, leave a comment and I'll get back to you as soon as I can! 
Did you know anything about what I mentioned above? and What's your favorite little known Magic Kingdom secret? Comment Below!!!
If you have any Disney questions feel free to leave a comment with those too! If you have a topic you think I should touch upon then leave that down in the comments too! 

Walt's Frozen Head signing off for now!

M-I-C... See you real soon K-E-Y Why? because we like you
M-O-U-S-E